Flush tank lever



H. F. SMITH FLUSH TANK LEVER Feb. 5, 1952 Filed July 27, 1 949 INVENTOR. HA me YF. SMITH A rid ENEYS Patented Feb. 5, 1952 FLUSH TANK LEVER Harry F. Smith, Lexington, Ohio, assignor to Mansfield Sanitary Pottery, Inc., Perrysville, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 27, 1949, Serial No. 107,071

6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to flush tanks and particularly to a new flush tank lever.

Many of the prior flush tank levers have been rotatably mounted in fittings which were generally rectangular in shape and were seated in correspondingly shaped openings in the side of the flush tank. The fittings and holes in the tank were so shaped to prevent rotation of the fittings when the lever was rotated. The angularity of the holes in the tank wall were sources of weakness from which breaks might start and, furthermore, the cost of making these rectangular holes was higher than that of making round holes. However, the use of round holes and round fittings offered the problem of how to prevent rotation of the fittings. For these reasons it has been quite common heretofore to employ rectangular holes and rectangular fittings therein in which the flush tank lever was rotatably mounted.

The prior flush tank levers were usually made in two or three parts with set screws or the like being used to secure the parts together and the fitting was often fastened in place in the tank wall by nuts. When it was desirable to install or remove the lever, tools were required which were not always at hand.

The present invention avoids the foregoing and other disadvantages with the prior art devices. It provides a fiush tank lever assembly which can be assembled and disassembled without any tools whatever and which can be used with a round hole in the tank wall.

The present invention will be better understood by those skilled in the art from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of one form of flush tank lever embodying the present invention and shown in assembled position with a fragment of a flush tank;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view corresponding generally to Fig. 1 but showing a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view, partly in section, taken on line d-fl of Fig. 3.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a rod I projecting through hole 2 in tank wall 3 and a handle 4 attached to rod I outside of wall 3. The rod I has an intermediate portion 5 which extends through the tank wall 3, an inner end portion 6 which is adapted, as by being bent as indicated at I, for attachment to flush valve mechanism (not shown) and an outer end portion 8 on which handle 4 is mounted. Inner and outer end portions 6 and 8 of the rod I. are generally parallel and extend in opposite directions. These portions make about the same included angle with the intermediate portion 5 of rod I. These angles should be of sufficient size so that the end portion 6 projects away from the tank wall to a position over the flush valve mechanism while the outer end portion 8 projects far enough away from the outside of the tank to permit free movement of the handle without danger of catching ones fingers between the handle and the tank.

The outer end portion 8 of the rod I preferably has a weakened section 9 between its ends and has a notch It closely adjacent to its free end. The handle 4 has a generally U-shaped part II, provided with a detent I2 to seat in notch I0, and an approximately semi-spherical part I3 provided with an annular open end surface I4 which is spring-pressed against the outer side of tank wall 3. t the intersection of parts I I and I3 of the handle, there is a partition wall I5 provided with a hole through which the portion 8 of lever I may extend. The part I3 of the handle has a central inwardly extending, hollow post It which is cut away at one side and perforated at the other end in line with the'hole through partition I5 to accommodate the outer end portion 8 of lever I including part of the bend connecting the intermediate portion 5 of the lever to the outer portion 8.

The intermediate portion 5 of rod I has a sleeve 26 thereon which is to be located in, and is to center portion 5 of the rod in, hole 2 in tank wall 3 when the lever is assembled with the tank. Sleeve 20 may be made of rubber or other suitable resilient deformable material. A washer 2| surrounds portion 5 of the rod at one end of sleeve 20 and is pressed against the inner side of the tank by a spring 22 surrounding the rod and backed up by an abutment, for example such as cotter pin 23 The rod I, assembled with sleeve 20, washer 2|, spring 22 and cotter pin 23, may be assembled with the tank wall simply by passing the outer end portion 8 of rod I through the hole in the tank wall from the inside of the tank until the washer 2| bears against the inner side of wall 3. Then handle 4 may be assembled on the outer portion 8 of rod I by inserting the free end of the rod in the opening in the walls of post I6 and passing portion II of the handle along the rod until the detent l2 flexes the rod at its weakened part 9 and seats in recess l0. When the handle is so assembled its annular surface M on part [3 will be pressed against the outer surface of the tank 3 by spring 22 which forces washer 2! against the inner side of the tank wall and pulls the handle into contact with the outer side of the wall. At the same time the sleeve 2!] is being pressed against the inner end of post It and also preferably substantially fills the hole in the tank about the rod and thus tends to maintain part 5 of the rod in the center of hole 2. The handle may be removed from the rod simply by pulling the handle toward the free end of portion 8 of the lever and. after the handle has been removed, the rod with the sleeve, washer, spring and cotter pin, may be removed from the tank wall 3.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the lever may be substantiallly the same as lever I of Figs. 1 and 2 and is provided with a cotter pin 23 and a spring 22, both of which may be quite like parts 23 and 22 of Figs. 1 and 2. Two metal disks 3B and 3!, having circular edges, are mounted on the intermediate portion 5 of the rod and are provided with rectangular depressions 32 to project into the rectangular hole 33 in the tank wall 3.

The handle 4 is quite similar to handle 1 of Figs. 1 and 2 but is not provided with a detent corresponding to detent l2 of Fig. 1 nor is the part 3 of the rod provided with a detent-receiving recess such as recess ID or a weakened section like 9, both of Fig. 1. The approximately spherical part 13' of the handle 4 has an annular surface M which bears against the outer surface of the tank, as in the case of handle 4. The annular wall of part l3 adjacent to surface I4 is of sufficient diameter to embrace telescopically and closely the outer periphery of disk 3!. When handle 4' is passed lengthwise of portion 8 of the rod and is pressed into position surrounding the periphery of disk 3|, the central post it is pressed against the outer surface of disk 3| by spring 22 which is thereby compressed between cotter pin 23' and disk 30.

The rectangular depressions 32 in disks 30 and 3| prevent rotation of the disks when the lever is actuated and the spring 22 and cotter pin 23 hold the disks 3!] and 3| in place in the hole in the tank wall and resiliently urge the handle toward the outer surface of the tank.

The lever of this invention may be operated substantially without wobbling or tipping laterally by reason of several structural features. The rod is mounted for rotation in the resilient sleeve which tends to keep it centered in hole 2. The handle 4 has the large diameter annular surface M in bearing engagement with the outer surface of the tank which tends to prevent tipping of the lever. As is indicated by line x on Fig. l, the points of application of forces on the inner and outer portions of the lever are on a line which passes through the bearing sleeve 20, and, as a result, there is no tendency to tipping of the lever when force is applied to the handle to lift the flush valve.

Having thus described the present invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A flush tank lever comprising an integral resilient rod having substantially parallel inner and outer oppositely extending end portions and an intermediate portion to extend through a hole in the wall of a flush tank, said intermediate portion forming obtuse angles with said end portions, the inner end portion of said rod being adapted to engage with a flush valve mechanism, a handle slidable endwise onto the outer end portion of said rod and resilient means engaging said rod and urging the intermediate portion thereof endwise toward the interior of the tank and the handle toward the outer surface of the tank.

2. A flush tank lever comprising an integral resilient rod having substantially parallel inner and outer oppositely extending end portions and an intermediate portion to extend through a hole in the wall of a flush tank, said intermediate portion forming obtuse angles with said end portions, the inner end portion of said rod being adapted to engage with a flush valve mechanism, a handle slidable endwise onto the outer end portion of said rod and resilient means for retaining the handle in place on the rod, said means including a detent in the handle to seat in a recess in said outer portion near its free end and a weakened section between the ends of said outer portion.

3. A flush tank lever comprising an integral resilient rod having substantially parallel inner and outer oppositely extending end portions and an intermediate portion to extend through a hole in the wall of a flush tank, said intermediate portion forming obtuse angles with said end portions, the inner end portion of said rod being adapted to engage with a flush valve mechanism, a handle slidable endwise onto the outer end portion of said rod and resilient means for retaining the handle in place on the rod, said means comprising a spring on the intermediate portion of the rod inside of the tank and urging said handle toward the outer surface of said tank.

4. A flush tank lever comprising an integral resilient rod having substantially parallel inner and outer oppositely extending end portions and an intermediate portion to extend through a hole in the wall of a flush tank, said intermediate portion forming obtuse angles with said end portions, the inner end portion of said rod being adapted to engage with a flush valve mechanism, a handle slidable endwise onto the outer end portion of said rod and resilient means for retaining the handle in place on the rod, said means including a washer on the intermediate portion of the rod inside of the tank and a spring coiled about the rod and pressing the washer against the inside surface of the tank for urging the handle toward the outside surface of the tank.

5. A flush tank lever comprising an integral resilient rod having substantially parallel inner and outer oppositely extending end portions and an intermediate portion to extend through a hole in the wall of a flush tank, said intermediate portion forming obtuse angles with said end portions, the inner end portion of said rod being adapted to engage with a flush valve mechanism, a handle slidable endwise onto the outer end portion of said rod and resilient means for retaining the handle in place on the rod, said means including plates surrounding the rod and bearing against the inner and outer surfaces of the tank about said hole and telescopically centered in said hole, the handle telescopically surrounding said outer plate, and a spring on the rod urging the inner plate and the handle,

respectively, against the inner and outer surfaces of said tank.

6. A flush tank lever comprising an integral resilient rod having substantially parallel inner and outer oppositely extending end portions and an intermediate portion to extend through a hole in the wall of a flush tank, said intermediate portion making obtuse angles with said end portions, the inner end of said rod being adapted to engage with a flush valve mechanism, a handle slidable endwise onto the outer end portion of said rod, a washer on the intermediatr portion of the rod Within the tank and resilien means engaging the washer and the rod an urging the washer against the inside surface of X5 6 the tank, the intermediate portion of the rod endwise into the tank and the handle toward the outer surface of the tank.

HARRY F. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,521,919 Wagner Jan. 6, 1925 2,364,314 Pleasant et al Dec. 5, 1944 2,489,621 C'rampton Nov. 29, 1949 

